People in the news

James L. Oberstar

Former U.S. Representative (January 1997-2011)

Why He Matters

Minnesota's longest-serving congressman who rose to become the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in the 111th Congress, Oberstar lost a bid for a 19th term in 2010 to political unknown Chip Cravaack. The loss was a shock, considering Oberstar typically garnered at least 59 percent of the vote in prior races.

Democrats and Minnesota will lose a congressman who had an encyclopedic knowledge of transportation issues. Oberstar was first suggested as a possibleTransportation secretary by Rep. Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.) in May 2008. Rahall said he would urge President Barack Obama to appoint Oberstar to his cabinet. Oberstar is "the true builder of America," Rahall said. "This committee has done more for this nation than any other committee." Oberstar was also listed on the Obama campaign's short list to fill that post, along with Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.).But Oberstar replied that he wouldn't accept the position if offered.

Read more

Background

At a Glance

Career History: Administrative Assistant, U.S. House Public Works Committee (1971 to 1974); Administrative Assistant, U.S. Rep. John Blatnik (1963 to 1974); Navy civilian language teacher, Haiti (1959 to 1963)
Birthday: September 10, 1934
Hometown: Chisholm, Minn.
Alma Mater: St. Thomas College, B.A. 1956; College of Europe, Bruges, Belgium, M.A. 1957
Spouse: Jean Oberstar

Religion: Catholic
DC Office: D.C. Office2365 Rayburn HOBWashington, D.C. 20515(202) 225-6211
State/District Office: Duluth, (218) 727-7474; Chisholm, (218) 254-5761; Brainerd, (218) 828-4400; North Branch, (651) 277-1234
Email
Web site

Path to Power

Oberstar was born and raised in the Iron Range city of Chislom, Minn. Oberstar's father, an iron miner and union official, sent him to St. Thomas College with $2,500 saved in quarters at the Slovenian National Benefit Society.

In 1956 Oberstar graduated summa cum laude with degrees in French and political science. He went on to earn a Masters degree in European Studies from the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium, in 1957.

Read more

The Congressman's career of service began soon after college when he moved to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, to work for the U.S. Naval Mission teaching French and Creole to Marines, and French and English to Haitians.

In 1963 Oberstar landed his first job in politics. The 29-year-old was hired as chief of staff to Congressman John Blatnik (D-Minn.) Blatnik was a force on the House Public Works Committee, which would later be renamed Transportation and Infrastructure, and Oberstar served as the committee's administrator.

Joining the House

Eleven years later, Blatnik retired from representing Minnesota's 8th district and Oberstar stepped in to fill his boss' shoes and replace him on Transportation and Infrastructure.

He has been a tireless advocate for increased spending on transportation. In 1995 he became the ranking minority member on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and served in that role for 12 years. In 2007, after Democrats recaptured the House, Oberstar became the committee's chair.

While still in the minority, Oberstar worked for six years with Chairman Bud Shuster (R-Pa.) to increase the committee's power. Their biggest accomplishment was the 1998 Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, or TEA-21, which authorized $217 billion over six years for spending on highway, highway safety and transit programs. The largest public works bill in history at the time, TEA-21 expanded on its predecessor, the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act, which expired in 1997.

In 2007 Oberstar was outraged at the collapse of Interstate Hwy. 35W bridge over the Mississippi River in his home state. In response to the tragedy, which killed 13 people and severed a prime commuter artery in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area, he proposed a five-cents-per gallon increase in the federal gasoline tax to fund a bridge inspection and maintenance program. "If you are not prepared to invest an additional 5 cents in bridge reconstruction and road reconstruction, God help you," he said.

The proposal was eventually dropped due to Republican opposition. But Oberstar was able to get the National Highway Bridge Reconstruction and Inspection Act of 2007 through the House. The bill, which has yet to be voted on in the Senate, would authorize $1 billion in each of fiscal years 2008 and 2009 to reconstruct structurally deficient bridges.

Oberstar is the longest-serving member of Congress in Minnesota's history and has won re-election 17 times. He sought his Democratic-Farm-Labor Party's endorsement for a Senate nomination in 1984, but when that failed, he held his House seat. His closest race came in 1992 when he won with 59 percent of the vote. While he won reelection in 2006 over former U.S. Sen. Rod Grams (R-Minn.), it was the first time in years that Republicans sent a formidable candidate to run against Oberstar.

The Issues

A Catholic, Oberstar's views fit into the liberal Catholic tradition. He strongly believes in an economically active government and has little faith in economic markets. He has long opposed American military involvement abroad, especially in Central America. He's been an outspoken opponent of the War in Iraq and voted against the Iraq War Resolution in 2002.

As the representative for much of Minnesota's Iron Range, Oberstar is a strong ally for the labor movement. He is supported by the AFL-CIO as a friend of labor and voted against NAFTA in the 90s.

Read more

The Congressman voted with his party 97 percent of the time in the 110th Congress.Still, Oberstar differs from his fellow Democrats on some key social issues, including his opposition to abortion and gun control.

The Economy

Along with fellow DFL members, Oberstar voted in favor of the $700 billion bailout of the financial industry. He asserted that congressional action was necessary. ''The panic that ran through the marketplace as a result of meltdown of the financial markets meant that if we didn't act the consequences would not only be nationwide, but worldwide," he said.

Two months after the bailout vote Oberstar was criticizing the way the $700 billion had been distributed. He accused Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson of giving money to financial institutions without attaching any strings and failing to prevent home foreclosures. He also favored using a part of the financial bailout funds to help the ailing auto industry.

"If the big three automakers go bankrupt, you will see a cascade of business failures and bankruptcies throughout the U.S. economy. The Iron Range is one place that will feel those failures keenly with taconite production slowing to a crawl and massive layoffs," Oberstar said.

Infrastructure

In his 30 years on the Transportation committee, Oberstar has fought incessantly to bring funding to American infrastructure. He says that investment in American infrastructure is essential to "relieve congestion, ensure U.S. competitiveness, and improve the daily lives of our citizens."

In November 2008, he introduced a "Rebuild America" plan to create 1.3 million jobs and introduce $223 billion into the economy. This position puts Oberstar in line with Obama who has promoted increased spending on public works as way to stimulate the economy.

Aviation

Oberstar was once the chair of Transportation's Aviation subcommittee and remains involved in aviation issues. He was one of the key architects of the 2001 bailout of the airline industry following 9/11 and a strong supporter of the state of Minnesota's investment in Northwest Airlines, which is headquartered in Eagan, Minn., has a major hub at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport and operates plants in Oberstar's district.

Oberstar has also been a central figure in the debate on how to make air travel safer. He strongly pushed for federal employees instead of contractors or airline employees in airport security. In April 2008 he asked whether the Federal Aviation Administration had developed "cozy" relationships with airlines rather than enforcing standards to keep passengers safe.

In 2007 he called for congressional hearings on flight delays after JetBlue left passengers sitting in a plane on the ground at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City for 10 hours.

Cycling

The 75-year-old transportation expert's preferred mode is the bicycle. He regularly logs 2,700 miles a year on his bike. He's promoted the creation of bicycle trails to help relieve congestion, reduce greenhouse gases and fight childhood obesity.

In 2007 Oberstar inserted a provision into a large bill dealing with airport funding that would allow airports to use money to construct bicycle storage facilities. "Doesn't it make sense?" he asked.

The Network

With more than 30 years in the House, Oberstar has developed allies on both sides of the political aisle - from Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), who co-chairs the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus with Oberstar, to President Barack Obama, who received Oberstar's support early in the Democratic primaries.

Among the congressmen's closest allies are fellow members of the Minnesota Democrat Farm Labor party, including Tim Walz, Betty McCollum, Keith Ellison, Collin Peterson and Al Franken, whom Oberstar endorsed in the 2008 Senate election.

Read more

Additional Resources

http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/house/17208731.html
http://www.minnpost.com/stories/2008/05/30/2035/rep_nick_rahall_has_an_idea_oberstar_should_be_next_transportation_secretary
http://hometownsource.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7326&Itemid=1
https://www.nysdot.gov/programs/tea21/what-tea
http://www.nujournal.com/page/content.detail/id/61335.html?isap=1&nav=5031
Karnowski, Steve, "Cravaack plays giant killer in Minn. Congress race" The Associated Press, Nov. 3, 2010
http://www.startribune.com/politics/state/35445129.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiUr
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/07/us/politics/07radio.html
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/o000006/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/09/AR2007070901533.htm
http://www.startribune.com/local/11552136.html
Biographical information based on the Almanac of American Politics, 2008 edition